Once you have started your computer, find the icon for your browser, a program that allows you to view Web pages. Icons are small pictures, representing different programs in your computer. The browser's icon will usually include its name. Click on the icon to start the browser. There are many types of browsers used on the Web. For instance, Lynx is a text-only browser. Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, Konqueror, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome to name a few are visual browsers.

To get started, look under the Help Button, which is usually found on the top line of the browser screen. You will find useful information there. There are different versions of each browser depending on whether you are using a phone, portable device, or which operating system, MAC, Linux, Windows.
Many browsers offer a choice of multilingual plugins for worldwide languages - under Preferences.
Some browsers, like Firefox, offer Add-ons (Look under Tools) for browzing customization.

Now it is time to use the browser. For what you ask? Well, think of the Internet as a worldwide library with unlimited information resources. Whether your interest is today's news, the latest about a particular form of cancer, or the prehistoric caves of Portugal, there is something about it on the Web. Best of all, perhaps, the Internet embodies the egalitarian idea. It doesn't care about your education, color, age, sex. No matter how tiny your town, or how isolated there is the Internet. The smallest library can provide connection to the largest.

Your first Web site viewing is probably not the sort of thing you'll remember all your life -- unless it becomes your last Web site viewing. Before giving up try some of these solutions.

If the text is too large -- or too small:

- Look under either the Tools or Edit Buttons for Preferences.
- There will be a section called something like Web Pages or Content
- Choose the font size and color most comfortable for your viewing.

The word Mirror in computers means alternate or copy. A Mirror site is another Web address where you will find the same information.

The term URL means Uniform Resource Locater. When you see (http://www.cancersupportivecare.com), it means ( http://= Hypertext Transfer Protocol) + (www = World Wide Web) + (cancersupportivecare = host name)+(com = commercial). All websites are in reality numbers. The name of a Web site is similar to dialing the phone number 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)

Always type Web site addresses exactly as shown. Never substitute capital letters, for lower case or vice versa. Do not add extra spaces. In general, copy the exact spacing of all letters, words, and punctuation. Don't forget to look closely: What may appear to be a blank space may be in fact an underscore, and this too must be written as shown. Do not add a period, comma at the end of the url.

Go to the search engine of your choice, Google, Bing, Ask, Alexa, Yandex, etc.
Choose your search words (for example, cancer, lung, or a short phrase including the words lung and cancer).
There will be many sites listed.

Then try adding words (cancer, lung, cell), or mix the search words ( cell, cancer, lung -- lung, cancer, cell). You can even chain the words together by adding a plus sign: lung+cancer+cell. Even phrases can be used -- Treatment for small cell lung cancer.

Usually the first search that you do is a general or open search to get a feeling on how many results will be returned. Sooner or later you will want to find something really specific, not just information about cancer, but the side effects of certain cancer treatment.

Enter the realm of power searching. Specify exactly what you want and more importantly what you don't want. Seek out and discover new civilizations -- don't just stumble across them.
Longer phrases can be used -- side effects of treatment for small cell lung cancer. Go to the Advanced Search option and follow the directions.

Be thoughtful. A Web site, just like a book in a library may have outdated or incorrect information.

While looking for information on a particular topic, many alluring sites will pop up. It is easy to lose focus and become lost in the Internet jungle. Our suggestion is to Bookmark (sometimes called Favorites) interesting sites as you find them. Prune these bookmarks monthly. If you have thousands of bookmarks you will not remember what were the important sites. In addition these clog up your computer with unnecessary files.

Finally if you haven't found what you are looking for, do the same search on another day. There may be updated or entirely new information, changes of address or other surprises.

Emails are messages between users and can be used within a browser or with a separate mailer application. Email is very exciting. You do not need worry about time or space and is the major form of communication worldwide.

Email conventions to get started. Never type in capitals. Capital letters are the equivalent of shouting at someone.

Always put the subject of your email in the subject line. This can be a simple as hello but best is to be specific. If you are replying to another email and introducing a new topic --- change the subject line.

Separate Email Accounts

- A good strategy is to have several email addresses.
- One private email which you give out to people you want to contact you and no one else.
- Create a work email. This is to be used for your work.
- A public email address, using Yahoo, Gmail, etc. Use this public email address to log onto public sites. Treat any email sent to this account as suspect. Be prepared to destroy this email account when it is used by pirates spoofing your email address or becomes spam hell...

- The default for messages in some email programs is MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). Immediately change this to send and receive email in Plain Text.
- Never allow remote website graphics.
- Choose the option that reads something like this - block loading of remote images in mail messages.

These are some of the reasons why you should use the Plain Text option.

Accessibility - Text, fonts, colors, etc, can be changed to suit the reader's needs.
Email may open your computer to attack by Internet pirates. These unscrupulous folk use phishing, malware, spyware and cookies for hostile takeovers of computers, businesses, and identity theft.
Viruses, spyware, web bugs, and malware hide in the MIME email. Allowing HTML or XML in email may increase the risk that your system will be compromised by security exploits.
Messages in MIME are very difficult for some computers to download.
They confirm that your address can receive spam.

Look under the View button

- Choose the option Message Body As Plain Text
- Links to unknown sites and crooks lurk in the background. (These are
not necessarily visible in HTML. Some crooks use white text on white background.)
These hidden links are displayed if you choose the option -- plain text.
- Before clicking on a link. Check the links in the email body
The link may lead to a crooked website (this is a frequent trick of thieves).
- If it is a name, before you click on it check to make sure the domain name is the same name in your browser location bar. Check carefully for instance www.paypal(letter l).com is not www.paypa1(number 1).com
- Safest is don't click on links inside an email.

Beware of attachments

- Never open an attachment unless you are expecting it. If the attachment is unexpected from a friend, child, parent or from someone you do not know , it could be spoofed. Best is to delete that email.
If it is from someone you know they can always send it again.
- If you receive an email message that requests you send your password or other private information, or fill in a form or pretends to be from a bank, hospital or other institution. Ask yourself if a total stranger walked up to me on the street - would I give them this information? Report these as frauds to the ISP involved, the Department of Justice (www.usdoj.gov) and delete these messages.

Message Disposition Notification (MDN)

- Unconditionally returning confirmations undermines your privacy. In most cases ignore requests for MDNs because:
- Headers of the original message returned could reveal confidential information about host names and/or network topology inside a firewall.
- Mail Bombing is an attack to send large set of messages with a false address overrun the capacity of the targeted mailbox and thus deny service.
- Do not use Quote original message
- Do not send MDNs in response to encrypted messages

Logins
Choose a login that is at least 6 characters long. Mix upper and lower cases with numbers. Make sure it is not a dictionary word. Do not use words such as doctor, CFO, president, sex, money, in your title or login or anywhere in your email setup. Using these words make you a tasty snack for spoofers and spammers.

Passwords
The longer the password, the harder to break. Three letter passwords often may be cracked in a few seconds. Complicated passwords may take days or months to crack. Mix upper and lower cases for your password. Add in numbers and other characters, and the cracking effort could take days of nonstop computing effort to break. One password option is to think of a phrase or rhyme like - Three Blind Mice See How They Run - 3bmCh{t]*r or the phrase itself , such as: myd0ghasflea$. Another option, passwords using another language written in English letters for example, Dostoevsky characters. Password patterns such as using names of spouse, children, pets make it easy to break into your computer. Change your password frequently.

Set a schedule to do backups of your computer information. Do these faithfully according to your needs on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. It is always a good idea to keep copies of your emails both sent and received. Then save the backups to another machine or media such as tapes, discs, cds, dvds, external hard drives or memory sticks. Place the backed up data in a secure off site location, for instance, your bank safety deposit box.

In a disaster, such as fire, flood, earthquake are you going say -- Wait! I need to unplug and pack up my computer.

Do not depend on CD-RWs or DVD-RWs for long term backups. They can be unreadable in as little as two years, because the dyes in the recording layer fade. Many manufacturers choose quantity over quality.
Plus the hot technology of today may be unusable tomorrow.

Create a paper information sheet and a backup disk containing your passwords and logins for your personal computer, website and email accounts. Keep copies in a safe place, for instance a safety deposit box. Let your executor know where this vital information can be found. Make sure these logins and passwords are not easily accessed on the web or can be hacked from another computer.

These are simple suggestions. Seek out computer classes from your local library, adult schools, or community colleges. Other options are telephone technical support from your local ISP, computer manufacturer, or for instance Apple provides in store workshops.
Have fun discovering new worlds.